CAMPAIGN 2012

Crossroads Ad Hits Obama: Backward, not Forward

The independent Republican group American Crossroads has a new ad out alleging that President Obama is taking America backward, not forward.

The 30-second spot from the Karl Rove-founded group mocks the president’s campaign theme on the eve of Obama’s convention speech.

“President Obama says he’ll take us forward, but where has he taken us so far?” a narrator asks.

The ad, which features glum-looking men and women, then hits on familiar themes, including the weak recovery, the 23 million Americans without full-time work, and the national debt. The ad ends with this text: “Backward.”

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Politico reports that Crossroads plans to spent $6.6 million in eight swing states.

Rove on Wednesday attributed Obama’s sinking favorability among women voters in a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll to Obama’s negative advertising during the summer and the continuing sluggish economy.

The poll released late Tuesday showed Obama’s favorability among female registered voters fell from 57-39 percent favorable-unfavorable in April to 46-50 percent now.

“The favorability gap has closed dramatically and interestingly enough after a summer in which the Democrats spent all their time talking about the war on women and appealing to women voters, the movement has come mostly among women,” Rove said on Fox News. “If this is also showing up in the Obama campaign polling data, that may be why they put such a heavy emphasis on women in this convention -- stop the erosion of the president’s favorability rating among women.”